River Systems and Montana is unique in one respect; unlike any other State or country, the waters from the mountains are carried by different river systems to the three o_eans, the Arctic, the Pacific and the Atlantic through the Gulf of Mexico. In the western part the Bitter-Root River gathers the waters from the snow crests of the Bitter-Root Range and from the spurs of the Rockies, and unites with the Missoula near the city of Missoula. The Missoula River through its various tribu taries gathers the waters from a large portion of the western slope of the main range, includ ing that which is used in the great smelters of Anaconda, and that which comes from the rich mines of Butte. Further north, the North Fork, Middle-Fork and South-Fork of Flat head River receive the drainage from the Mis sion and Swan ranges, the west slope of the main range and a part of the Kootenak. These unite to form the Flathead River, which first pours its waters into the greatest reservoir of the State, Flathead Lake, and later joins the Missoula in the beautiful hut narrow Paradise Valley to form Clark's Fork of the Columbia. The Kootenay River takes the drainage from the extreme northwestern corner, a part of the Columbia drainage system. The rivers on this western side are clear and swift, with rocky and picturesque canons. The Belly and Saint Mary rivers in the northern part of the main range carry, the ice-cold water from the glaciers of the Continental Divide, Chaney, Swift Cur rent, Grinnell, Sexton, Blackfeet and Red Eagle glaciers, and from Cleveland, Merritt, Wilbur, Gould, Piegan, Going-to-the-Sun, Citadel and Red Eagle mountains, and the adjacent region in Glacier National Park, on to the Arctic Ocean. The sources of these two rivers are in the wildest and most picturesque region of the State. By the plans of the Federal government much of the water of the Saint Mary will be diverted by canal to the Milk River, and used in the vast system of irrigation for the north ern part of the State. Triple Divide Peak (8,001) claims the proud distinction of sending its waters to three oceans. By far the greater portion of the State is in the Missouri River drainage sys tem. The Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson rivers gather the waters from the many small ranges adjacent to the Yellowstone Park and unite at Three-Forks to form the Missouri. Near the city of Great Falls are the *Falls of the Missouri.* From Fort Benton, a short dis tance below the Great Falls, the river is navi gable to its juncture with the Mississippi. The Yellowstone River rises in Yellowstone Lake in the Yellowstone Park, and after taking its two mighty leaps in the park and flowing through its magnificent gorge, it emerges as a restless river, continuing in swift descent until its waters merge with the muddy Missouri. The Yellowstone is the most rapid navigable stream in the world, but it has long since ceased to be used by boats as a commercial highway. From the north the Missouri receives the waters of the Marias, Teton, Sun and Milk rivers, all of which flow through valleys of great fertility. The scenery along the rivers is varied and exhibits some striking antitheses. The valley of the Bitter Root is one of remark able beauty. The river, as it winds back and forth like a stream of silver, when viewed from Mount Lolo, Ward's Peak or Saint Mary's in the Bitter-Root Range, is probably equaled in quiet and peaceful grandeur only by the Yel lowstone as it flows through Hayden Valley in the Park. The three branches of the Flat head present to the few travelers along their course many gorges and canons. The South Fork in one place in the Lewis and Clarke Forest reserve has cut its way through solid rock, making a canon so narrow that pack horses may be and are forced to leap from brink to brink, while the river seethes and boils many feet below, its ominous roar announcing certain death if the leap is short. The Missouri has made the famous of the Moun tains,* its splendor first told by Lewis and Clark, and later made famous by the brush of artists. At the city of Great Falls, it hastens its speed before tumbling over the beautiful Black Eagle Falls, spanned by a bridge on the Great Northern Railroad, and does not diminish its speed until the bottom of the Great Falls is reached. The valleys of these rivers and their smaller tributaries make rich farming soil, suitable for grain, vegetables and fruit. The Bitter-Root Valley in the West was settled first, and is a great farming and fruit raising region. The country adjacent to Flathead Lake is thickly settled, and produces abundant har vests without irrigation. The •Gallatin Valley has become famous for its bountiful harvests, and the Yellowstone is being largely used for agriculture and fruit. The Musselshell River takes its first waters from the crests of the Crazy, Castle, Little Belt and Big Snowy mountains. It flows eastward, through the cen tral portion of the State, makes an abrupt turn northward, emptying into the Missouri. The Judith takes its rise on the northern slopes of the Little Belt and Big Snowy mountains, flows north and gives its waters to the Missouri. The Milk River heads in the Hudson Bay Divide east of Upper and Lower Saint Mary lakes, turns north into Canada, flows east for over 100•miles, returns to the State for another 200 mile stretch before it reaches the Missouri. The Dearborn, Sun and Teton rivers are short but important streams which head in the main range of the Rockies and flow eastward to the Missouri in the Great Falls Region. They fur nish the water for large irrigation systems. The Bighorn River rises far south, in mountains in middle Wyoming, and flows north into the Yellowstone near Custer. The Little Bighorn is a tributary of the former, famous in history because of the Custer massacre on its banks by the Indians. The Powder River also rises far south in middle Wyoming, flowing north with a tortuous course, emptying into the Yellowstone east of Miles City. The Tongue River heads in northern Wyoming and flows into the Yellowstone at Miles City. There are many smaller streams designated as rivers, of greater or less importance, depending upon their location and usefulness in irrigation. There are several large lakes in the State, and many small ones. In the Glacier Park alone (q.v.) are some 250 lakes, large and small. Other sections have numerous lakes, many of which are unnamed. Flathead Lake, in the western part, is about 30 miles long, has an area of 189 square miles and is 289 feet deep. The size and depth of lakes in Glacier Park are given under that heading. The larger ones are Upper and Lower Saint Mary, Kintla, Logging, Bowman and McDonald. Georgetown Lake, near Philipsburg, has an extreme length of several miles. Hauser Lake, a widening of Missouri River near Helena, was made by the construction of the Hauser Dam.
Climate and The climate of the State is exceedingly varied, and is much more salubrious than is generally supposed. West of the main range the winters are mild, the summers and falls are delightful. The rain fall at Missoula and Kalispell averages about 16 inches, while at Culbertson and Glendive in the eastern end the rainfall is about 13 inches. Rain and snow prevail during the spring until early July. July, August and September are largely without rain, although in many places there is no need of irrigation. During the last
decade, possibly due to increased irrigation and to the tilling of many millions of acres that formerly were used only for range, the rainfall during summer months has increased. In many sections of the State large crops have been raised without irrigation. It must be remem bered, however, that there is no certainty of summer rains, and most lands without irriga tion are liable to suffer from drouth. Owing to the different altitudes, snow may fall later in the spring at some places than at others. An area of 40,700 square miles is below 3,000 feet elevation above the sea; this is equivalent to a State the size of Georgia. About 10,200 square miles exceed 8,000 feet altitude. The climate on the Pacific slope is milder and less changeable than that of the Atlantic side. The majority of the areas of high barometer, and accompany ing cold, originate in the Arctic Region, and are deflected southward or eastward by the Rocky Mountains. While eastern Montana and the Dakotas may be in the throes of a blizzard the western end may be enjoying balmy weather. As in any extreme northern state, the ther mometer occasionally records a low midwinter temperature, but the cold spells are short. While they remain there is practically no wind. The i air is dry and the sunshine clear. Ordinary outdoor occupations may be carried on with little inconvenience. Summer temperatures are not oppressive, and heat prostration are un known. In 1916 Missoula, on the west side of the range, had maximum temperature of 98° F., minimum — 17° F. • east of the moun tains Havre, from which the climate of Mon tana seems to be determined, because it is the first weather bureau station in the United States to record advancing cold waves, had maximum 92° F., and minimum • F. These are merely typical of the greatly varying tempera tures. The mean temperature in the western end is F. At Helena, altitude 4,500, the mean temperature is Chinook winds may occur over the entire State, melting large quan tities of snow in a short period of time. Owing to the usual absence of a high percentage of humidity, the cold weather is not extremely dis agreeable, nor the warm days smotheringly op pressive. The hot days may blister the skin, while the nights following will be cool enough to require blankets. Rarely does one sleep with out considerable covering, and some people wear the same clothing summer and winter, donning extra coats or wraps in winter. This may be given as the general summary: the springs are rainy; the summers are clear and dry; the autumns are delightful; the winters are clear and bracing. Owing to the absence of high humidity the climate is very beneficial to health, as statistics will show. It is especially beneficial to those affected with pulmonary dis eases. Malaria is entirely absent. The central Weather Bureau Station is located at Helena. There are stations at Kalispell, Havre and Miles City.
Agriculture and In the early days of Montana's history it was not thought possible to grow crops in the State to much ex tent. Nearly everything was shipped in from the outside. As the mines developed the de mand for food became so great as to stimulate agriculture, and fruit raising was also attempted. Marked success attended the efforts, and large acreages of grain and orchards were put out annually until agriculture and husbandry have developed in rank above the mineral wealth. In 1902, nearly 250,000 fruit trees were set out; the number was almost doubled the next year. At the close of the year 1903 nearly 1,500,000 fruit trees had been set out in various parts of the State. Since then the acreage has been very greatly increased. The trees in the orchards in clude apples, cherries, plums, apricots and peaches. Small fruit, such as gooseberries strawberries, blackberries, currants and the like, produce enormous crops from small acreage, while to describe the size and weight of the fruit is almost beyond belief. Apples are shipped to all parts of the country and to Europe. As they are quite free from insect pests, owing to the stringent legislation and watchful care in orchard inspection, home grown apples are always in demand, the demand being far in excess of the supply. The Bitter Root Valley, in the western part of the State on the Pacific slope, is the oldest orchard sec tion, and has become famous as a fruit-grow ing valley. But the orchards are not confined to this beautiful and fertile valley. The valley to the north of Flathead Lake is filled with orchards, already breaking beneath their loads of fruit. The Yellowstone Valley is developing rapidly as a fruit-growing region, even growing grapes. The most recent observations show that fruit trees may be grown and that apples will mature in every portion of the State. Since the portion of the State east of the Rocky Mountains is much greater than on the west the fruit-growing possibilities of the State may be readily understood when it is known that the great majority of the fruit trees of the State are on the Pacific side. About 10,000,000 acres of the 94,000,000 acres of the State were in crops in 191& This does not include pasture. In the last 10 years the State has had such a large increase of farmers that no safe compari sons with former periods can be made. Great stretches of former prairie land that was given over to grazing and stock raising have been taken by homesteaders, and used for farming purposes. The former prairie wilderness has become a settled country, with farmhouses, schoolhouses, towns, and even cities of good size. The total acreage in farms in 1900 was almost 85 times that reported in 1870, and the increase since 1900 has been tremendous. In the extreme eastern part are the "Bad a continuation of the "Bad Lands') of the Da kotas, Wyoming and Nebraska, practically non irrigable because of the uneven surface. The Yellowstone Valley has become famous for its growth of alfalfa. Two or three cuttings, a total of four to seven tons per acre, are had. The Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson valleys in the southeast produce rich harvests of cereals, never failing through irrigation. In the west the Bit ter-Root, Missoula and Flathead valleys, while less extensive, produce as abundant harvests, often without irrigation. The lands are of three general clasSes — the bottom lands, near the streams, with rich, black, alluvial soil; the bench lands, whose soil is a sandy loam, capable of wide range of cultivation; and the high bluffs, suitable largely for grazing. The crops in 1918 were, wheat, 31,963,000 bushels; oats, 19,040,000 bushels; rye, 121,000 bushels; barley, 1,879,000 bushels; flax, 3,487,000 bushels; great quantities of corn, hay and forage, potatoes, peas and vegetables. During the past few years, many small fruit and truck farms have been started, promising greater returns per acre and greater variety of farm products, as ready market awaits all kinds of farm products. Montana leads the Union in the number of sheep, there being more than 5,500,000 in 1910. The sheep industry has proven profitable in the eastern portion where there is much open range. In 1910 there were 925,000 cattle and 319,000 horses, the as sessed valuation of the former being about $3,700,000, and of the latter $6,061,000. Since then the increase has been enormous.